collapse

* Recent Posts

"Christ Is King" by Altair
[Today at 01:09:34 am]


Re: Cill Shift Schedule by SunflowerP
[Yesterday at 11:04:57 pm]


Re: Stellar Bling: The Good, the Bad, the OMG! by SunflowerP
[March 21, 2024, 11:21:37 pm]


Re: Spring Has Sprung! 2024 Edition by SunflowerP
[March 21, 2024, 10:24:10 pm]


Stellar Bling: The Good, the Bad, the OMG! by Altair
[March 21, 2024, 02:52:34 pm]

Author Topic: This is a Girl Post  (Read 14497 times)

sunflower47

  • Sr. Apprentice
  • ****
  • Join Date: Mar 2012
  • Posts: 58
  • Total likes: 0
    • View Profile
This is a Girl Post
« on: June 22, 2012, 12:53:03 pm »
The title is there because I'm about to talk about menstruation. If you are not comfortable with this... you've been warned.

So, I'm pretty sure this has been discussed or asked about in various ways already, but I don't think on this site because my searches yielded nothing. I was just wondering if anybody has ever used their menstrual blood as an offering? I've seen it talked about on other sites and am curious about it... just wondering what everyone thinks.

Tana

  • Staff
  • *
  • Join Date: Jun 2011
  • Posts: 2295
  • Total likes: 3
    • View Profile
Re: This is a Girl Post
« Reply #1 on: June 22, 2012, 01:13:38 pm »
Quote from: sunflower47;61219



Honestly? Ewww.
If I need blood, I'll prick a finger.

The other stuff is mainly tissue and things and - I repeat myself - ewww for that.

In a folk magical approach less eww, since it is one of the most used bodily fluids/things used in spells, but as offering, not so much.
\'You had to repay, good or bad. There was more than one type of obligation.
That’s what people never really understood.….Things had to balance.
You couldn’t set out to be a good witch or a bad witch. It never worked out for long.
All you could try to be was a witch, as hard as you could.\'
Terry Pratchett \'Lords and Ladies\'

Confuzzled and proud. :p

veggiewolf

  • Adept Member
  • ********
  • Join Date: Jul 2011
  • Posts: 3105
  • Total likes: 1
    • View Profile
Re: This is a Girl Post
« Reply #2 on: June 22, 2012, 01:15:46 pm »
Quote from: sunflower47;61219
The title is there because I'm about to talk about menstruation. If you are not comfortable with this... you've been warned.

So, I'm pretty sure this has been discussed or asked about in various ways already, but I don't think on this site because my searches yielded nothing. I was just wondering if anybody has ever used their menstrual blood as an offering? I've seen it talked about on other sites and am curious about it... just wondering what everyone thinks.


I've used it in witch bottles in the past, along with urine, but not as an offering.  Blood for offerings usually comes from a pricked finger.
Fluid Morality - my spiritual blog
Eating Monsters - my mental health blog

"Religion does not define a deity- it defines the human approach and interpretation of deity." - Juni
"I hate magical thinking in my magic." - Darkhawk
"...a baseball club; a soccer unkindness; a hockey murder; a football team..." - Cecil, Welcome to Night Vale

Juni

  • Grand Master Member
  • *******
  • Join Date: Jun 2011
  • Posts: 1704
  • Country: us
  • Total likes: 13
    • View Profile
  • Religion: Eclectic
  • Preferred Pronouns: she/her
Re: This is a Girl Post
« Reply #3 on: June 22, 2012, 01:19:53 pm »
Quote from: sunflower47;61219


 
I never have, no. I've never offered any blood.

Since menstrual blood is waste- albeit waste that could have helped create life- it would serve a very different purpose to me in offering than regular blood. I think, were I to use it, it would have to be under very specific circumstances- helping me keep control over my body is the only thing that spring to mind, at the moment.
Join the Emboatening Crew over on Kiva! Emboatening the boatless since Opet 2013!

Nachtigall

  • Master Member
  • ******
  • Join Date: Sep 2011
  • Posts: 287
  • Total likes: 0
    • View Profile
Re: This is a Girl Post
« Reply #4 on: June 22, 2012, 01:22:25 pm »
Quote from: sunflower47;61219
The title is there because I'm about to talk about menstruation. If you are not comfortable with this... you've been warned.

So, I'm pretty sure this has been discussed or asked about in various ways already, but I don't think on this site because my searches yielded nothing. I was just wondering if anybody has ever used their menstrual blood as an offering? I've seen it talked about on other sites and am curious about it... just wondering what everyone thinks.

 
No, that would be miasma.
Some Hellenists even argue that during these days one should not approach an altar at all. I personally am of the opinion, that it is not an issue as long as physical cleanliness during these days is maintained - but using menstrual blood as an offering to Gods would be a very bad idea.

Sharysa

  • Master Member
  • ******
  • Join Date: Feb 2012
  • Posts: 471
  • Total likes: 1
    • View Profile
Re: This is a Girl Post
« Reply #5 on: June 22, 2012, 01:29:09 pm »
Quote from: sunflower47;61219



 
I'm not a witchy person, but using menstrual blood is widely regarded as an acceptable alternative for blood magic if you don't want to harm yourself/others.

A couple of places mentioned that the Morrigan would accept offerings of menstrual blood and I just went, "That's nice, but how the hell would you GET it?" Normal blood already dries quickly and menstrual blood is really thick to boot. You can't put a jar down there and let it drip in because, well, it DOESN'T drip.

Another problem is what to do when the smell starts up five minutes later. Normal blood smells like rusty metal. Menstrual blood smells like dead things. (Yes, I know what that smells like.)

You don't want your altar to smell like that, especially an indoor altar.
On hiatus, but might pop in now and then. Just making it official.

My blog. 40% normal, 60% spiritual, 500% details.

Juni

  • Grand Master Member
  • *******
  • Join Date: Jun 2011
  • Posts: 1704
  • Country: us
  • Total likes: 13
    • View Profile
  • Religion: Eclectic
  • Preferred Pronouns: she/her
Re: This is a Girl Post
« Reply #6 on: June 22, 2012, 01:38:39 pm »
Quote from: Sharysa;61226
A couple of places mentioned that the Morrigan would accept offerings of menstrual blood and I just went, "That's nice, but how the hell would you GET it?" Normal blood already dries quickly and menstrual blood is really thick to boot. You can't put a jar down there and let it drip in because, well, it DOESN'T drip.


I used to frown when people talked about offering menstrual blood to the Morrigan, but now that I actually *think* about it, she being a goddess of Sovereignty and all, it makes more sense. And one could use a menstrual cup to collect, like DivaCups or Mooncups.

Quote from: Sharysa;61226
Another problem is what to do when the smell starts up five minutes later. Normal blood smells like rusty metal. Menstrual blood smells like dead things. (Yes, I know what that smells like.)

You don't want your altar to smell like that, especially an indoor altar.

 
Definitely not. Outdoors, though, it could work.
Join the Emboatening Crew over on Kiva! Emboatening the boatless since Opet 2013!

Valentine

  • Sr. Master Member
  • *******
  • Join Date: Jul 2011
  • Posts: 936
  • Country: us
  • Total likes: 81
    • View Profile
  • Religion: get free; get others free; make new life in the aftermath
  • Preferred Pronouns: she/her
Re: This is a Girl Post
« Reply #7 on: June 22, 2012, 01:40:44 pm »
Quote from: Sharysa;61226
"That's nice, but how the hell would you GET it?" Normal blood already dries quickly and menstrual blood is really thick to boot. You can't put a jar down there and let it drip in because, well, it DOESN'T drip.

 
I am a woman who doesn't menstruate, but a lot of the people who menstruate who I know use menstrual cups, which do collect the blood rather than absorbing it up into cloth of some kind.  I know artists who use blood in their work who collect it that way, and witches, too.
"Let be be finale of seem." - Wallace Stevens, "The Emperor of Ice-Cream"
"There isn't a way things should be.  There's just what happens, and what we do."
- Terry Pratchett, "A Hat Full of Sky"

Sharysa

  • Master Member
  • ******
  • Join Date: Feb 2012
  • Posts: 471
  • Total likes: 1
    • View Profile
Re: This is a Girl Post
« Reply #8 on: June 22, 2012, 01:45:45 pm »
Quote from: Juni;61227
I used to frown when people talked about offering menstrual blood to the Morrigan, but now that I actually *think* about it, she being a goddess of Sovereignty and all, it makes more sense. And one could use a menstrual cup to collect, like DivaCups or Mooncups.

 
Menstrual cups are pretty expensive if you're only planning to use them for the occasional spell, and I wouldn't trust one I could get for $10.
On hiatus, but might pop in now and then. Just making it official.

My blog. 40% normal, 60% spiritual, 500% details.

Valentine

  • Sr. Master Member
  • *******
  • Join Date: Jul 2011
  • Posts: 936
  • Country: us
  • Total likes: 81
    • View Profile
  • Religion: get free; get others free; make new life in the aftermath
  • Preferred Pronouns: she/her
Re: This is a Girl Post
« Reply #9 on: June 22, 2012, 01:46:45 pm »
Quote from: Sharysa;61231
Menstrual cups are pretty expensive if you're only planning to use them for the occasional spell, and I wouldn't trust one I could get for $10.

 
Well, yes.  The people I know who use them generally prefer to use them, you know, every month.
"Let be be finale of seem." - Wallace Stevens, "The Emperor of Ice-Cream"
"There isn't a way things should be.  There's just what happens, and what we do."
- Terry Pratchett, "A Hat Full of Sky"

sunflower47

  • Sr. Apprentice
  • ****
  • Join Date: Mar 2012
  • Posts: 58
  • Total likes: 0
    • View Profile
Re: This is a Girl Post
« Reply #10 on: June 22, 2012, 02:08:17 pm »
Quote from: Tana;61221
.

 
Too many quotes, so I just picked the first one. I wasn't thinking in terms of specific gods I guess... but I could see not giving it to them. I was thinking of just an offering to the earth? (I don't follow any specific deity) I've heard of some people mixing it with water and using it as fertilizer in a garden, but I have no idea if that works. I was, in my mind, equating the earth as a womb, like mother earth, and since the blood is from my own womb I thought it would be appropriate.
And as for the collecting it questions... I have used a menstrual cup before. I suppose I could use that... (By the way, menstrual cups are totally awesome, just throwing it out there)
Probably not something I would ever do personally but I was curious.

Jenett

  • Senior Staff
  • *
  • Join Date: Jun 2011
  • Location: Boston, MA
  • Posts: 3743
  • Country: us
  • Total likes: 1235
    • View Profile
    • Seeking: First steps on a path
  • Religion: Initiatory religious witchcraft
  • Preferred Pronouns: she/her
Re: This is a Girl Post
« Reply #11 on: June 22, 2012, 02:13:11 pm »
Quote from: sunflower47;61219
So, I'm pretty sure this has been discussed or asked about in various ways already, but I don't think on this site because my searches yielded nothing. I was just wondering if anybody has ever used their menstrual blood as an offering? I've seen it talked about on other sites and am curious about it... just wondering what everyone thinks.

Not as an offering (though I also don't work with deities for whom blood is a particularly relevant offering), but for magical work where blood is a direct tie to a person (witch bottles, tightly programmed things), yes.

In terms of getting it - depends on specifics. As someone who has occasional periods with flooding, well, not all menstrual blood is non-liquid. (On the other hand, as someone whose cycle is lengthy and highly irregular, waiting for the next time I have a period is magically inconvenient a lot of the time.)

For those interested in using a menstrual cup,  there's a really excellent conversation from someone I know via Dreamwidth, with comments addressing a wide range of common (and less common) concerns - everything from cost to placement to grip strength and flexibility issues to.. well, everything. There's a fairly good international representation, too, talking about what's available in different places.

I haven't yet, but I keep contemplating switching to cloth pads (the fact that I have used shared laundry facilities for so long is a complication), but rinse water from them is something some people use for witch bottle and related applications.
« Last Edit: June 22, 2012, 02:14:15 pm by Jenett »
Seek Knowledge, Find Wisdom: Research help on esoteric and eclectic topics (consulting and other services)

Seeking: first steps on a Pagan path (advice for seekers and people new to Paganism)

Maps

  • Sr. Master Member
  • *******
  • Join Date: Nov 2011
  • Posts: 703
  • Total likes: 1
    • View Profile
Re: This is a Girl Post
« Reply #12 on: June 22, 2012, 04:59:16 pm »
Quote from: sunflower47;61219
The title is there because I'm about to talk about menstruation. If you are not comfortable with this... you've been warned.

So, I'm pretty sure this has been discussed or asked about in various ways already, but I don't think on this site because my searches yielded nothing. I was just wondering if anybody has ever used their menstrual blood as an offering? I've seen it talked about on other sites and am curious about it... just wondering what everyone thinks.

 
Yeah, I'd never dream of using menstrual blood as an offering. The stuff has a lot of taboos associated with it because it's waste (you wouldn't offer urine or fecal matter to a deity, would you?), but also in the old Mayan tradition, as I currently understand it, blood that was not drawn with deliberate purpose from spiritually significant places, and blood shed accidentally or in battle, fed the morally dubious entities of the underworld. Which was something to be generally avoided.

It should be noted that autosacrifice plays a very important role in my practice, and I have done it before on several occasions. So yeah, blood is extremely potent, and while I'm sure menstrual blood is also, I personally think it has no active place in ritual where cleanliness is important.

Maps

  • Sr. Master Member
  • *******
  • Join Date: Nov 2011
  • Posts: 703
  • Total likes: 1
    • View Profile
Re: This is a Girl Post
« Reply #13 on: June 22, 2012, 05:02:28 pm »
Quote from: Maps;61246




Right, I wouldn't do it also because I have little to no deep connection with my baby-making stuff and would much prefer to be infertile. :B

Shine

  • Sr. Master Member
  • *******
  • Join Date: Nov 2011
  • Posts: 912
  • Total likes: 0
    • View Profile
    • http://houseofthelion.wordpress.com/
Re: This is a Girl Post
« Reply #14 on: June 22, 2012, 06:08:54 pm »
Quote from: sunflower47;61219
The title is there because I'm about to talk about menstruation. If you are not comfortable with this... you've been warned.

So, I'm pretty sure this has been discussed or asked about in various ways already, but I don't think on this site because my searches yielded nothing. I was just wondering if anybody has ever used their menstrual blood as an offering? I've seen it talked about on other sites and am curious about it... just wondering what everyone thinks.

 
My kneejerk reaction is YUCK, though I am aware most people aren't as. . . sensitive as I am. :ashamed:

Far as I know, blood is taboo to the Netjeru and the Hellenic gods (Theoi?) in worship settings. Since those happen to be the deities I worship, no menstrual blood offerings from me.

In respect to the Netjeru and Hellenic gods, however, I'm sure practices vary hugely.

Quote from: sunflower47
. . .I wasn't thinking in terms of specific gods I guess... but I could see not giving it to them. I was thinking of just an offering to the earth? (I don't follow any specific deity). . .


I'm not sure I'd offer it to the earth from either of the religious/mythological perspectives from which I worship. It's a purity thing, for me. I'll let a ton of purity issues slide by, but this is one kind of practice I personally leave to other people. (Hey, more for those who do use it, right? ;))
Leave your darkness with me, and I will make you shine.

Tags:
 

Related Topics

  Subject / Started by Replies Last post
5 Replies
3492 Views
Last post July 10, 2011, 09:12:18 am
by xerces_blue
1 Replies
1089 Views
Last post April 23, 2012, 05:54:00 pm
by SatSekhem
43 Replies
5346 Views
Last post September 01, 2012, 10:48:13 am
by Amethyst
41 Replies
6175 Views
Last post March 25, 2013, 01:48:37 am
by Dark Midnight
52 Replies
7509 Views
Last post April 16, 2013, 05:06:44 pm
by mandrina

* Who's Online

  • Dot Guests: 207
  • Dot Hidden: 0
  • Dot Users: 0

There aren't any users online.

* Please Donate!

The Cauldron's server is expensive and requires monthly payments. Please become a Bronze, Silver or Gold Donor if you can. Donations are needed every month. Without member support, we can't afford the server.

* Shop & Support TC

The links below are affiliate links. When you click on one of these links you will go to the listed shopping site with The Cauldron's affiliate code. Any purchases you make during your visit will earn TC a tiny percentage of your purchase price at no extra cost to you.

* In Memoriam

Chavi (2006)
Elspeth (2010)
Marilyn (2013)

* Cauldron Staff

Host:
Sunflower

Message Board Staff
Board Coordinator:
Darkhawk

Assistant Board Coordinator:
Aster Breo

Senior Staff:
Aisling, Allaya, Jenett, Sefiru

Staff:
Ashmire, EclecticWheel, HarpingHawke, Kylara, PerditaPickle, rocquelaire

Discord Chat Staff
Chat Coordinator:
Morag

'Up All Night' Coordinator:
Altair

Cauldron Council:
Bob, Catja, Chatelaine, Emma-Eldritch, Fausta, Jubes, Kelly, LyricFox, Phouka, Sperran, Star, Steve, Tana

Site Administrator:
Randall

SimplePortal 2.3.6 © 2008-2014, SimplePortal